Killer Instinct

I really liked the way the Cavs went after the Celtics right from the start last night. Lebron killed it in the first quarter, lighting it up for 21 points on his way to 38, 8 rebounds, and 7 assists. The Cavs defense turned Rondo into a jump shooter. He did make several shots, but the Cavs will live with that all day, especially when he takes threes.

Mike Brown did a great job with the match-ups, putting Anthony Parker on Rondo and Mo Williams on Ray Allen. Parker's length makes it a little tougher on Rondo and his position defense is far better than Mo's. Ray Allen is less consistent in games now so he could hide Mo Williams on him. As soon as Ray Allen got a couple shots over Williams and started to get in a rhythm Brown pulled Williams and brought in Delonte West, who is a much better defender. I think this definitely kept Ray Allen from getting hot, he finished 2-9 from the floor for only 7 points.

The Bengal's Big Chance

The Bengals have become well known in the Mike Brown era of ownership for making some of the worst personnel decisions in the league. The goal appears to be simple: build an incredibly unstable core of possibly talented, but definitely combustible athletes.

The question of why Brown chooses to run his team this way is moot. But assuming insanity in Cincinnati (Cinsanity?) really is the goal, there's one obvious obstacle in his way: these players keep getting arrested, suspended, drunk, fat, or in one tragic case dead.

So each and every year the Bengals sign the newest generation of miscreants. I'll go back a couple of years to illustrate:

In 2007 drunkard Odell Thurman and general asshole Shuan Smith (who was brought back to the team for a few games in 2009) left the team. The Bengals went out and got Harvard (freaking Harvard) quarterback Ryan "Crazy Legs" Fitzpatrick. In 2008 the team lost Chris Henry to suspension. They replaced him by drafting DUI machine Jason Shirley, and signing Jordan Palmer, who runs the ridiculously nerdy RunPee. Later in the season they added Cedric "DUI-by-land-or-by-sea" Benson.

Thursday Throwback Posterization: Horry on Terry Mills

Unfortunately the video quality on this Throwback Posterization is sub-par at best, but this is such a sick dunk that I just had to post it anyway. This is from back in the mid to late 90s when someone in the Pistons organization decided to change their team colors to teal and red, and to incorporate a horse into their logo. Not a good idea. But hey, it was the 90s. There were a lot of bad ideas going on with sports teams logos and jerseys.

Ok, back to the dunk. This is one of those all or nothing dunks. The type where you just launch your body at the defender and pray in mid-air that you'll be able to reach the rim. And if you don't, you're probably in for a nasty fall. In this case, Horry was able to reach the rim and put the ball through the hoop while picking up the and 1 for good measure.

The Black Mamba Strikes Again

Kobe showed off his closing ability and truly looked like the black mamba of old. He broke down Wesley Matthews in the post several times in the fourth quarter, getting to the foul line with impunity. On the day Lebron was awarded the MVP it was crazy to see Kobe going to the line with the MVP chants rocking at Staples Center. Lebron got 116 out of 123 votes so I'm sure Kobe wanted to show that the vote shouldn't have been that one sided.

All schoolyard MVP talk aside, the Lakers looked really good defensively in this game. Odom and Gasol wouldn't let Milsap or Boozer get up many easy shots. The Lakers are finally starting to look like the team everyone was talking about at the beginning of the year with their versatile defenders. They even put Ron Artest on Deron Williams for some of the game. Phil Jackson may need to do that more going forward because about all Derek Fisher can do is foul Deron Williams. Williams torched them for 17 points in the first quarter.

I can't wait for game 2 because, despite the way the Lakers played, the Jazz had a chance to win at the end of the game. They were actually up 4 late in the fourth before Kobe took over the game.

Farewell 2009-2010 Thunder

Alas, the former champs finally did get the best of the up-and-coming Oklahoma City Thunder. Two Dank Game teams down, one to go.

Having been a lifelong fan of Cincinnati sports, this is the least I've ever felt badly about a promising season coming to an end. With the Reds and the Bengals, you always kind of know that a winning season will not be followed by another.

So maybe it's a blessing that Cincinnati lost the Royals. It frees up SlimMcFavorite and myself to become free agent fans. Also fortunate is that we weren't douchey enough to become Celtics or Lakers fanboys (or have hair like the pictured Thunder fan).

So unlike the Cincinnati teams, I know I won't have to wait twenty years for another solid Thunder squad. Only seven regular season wins separated them from the defending champ Lakers. And in their series against the best in the West, the Thunder took two games, and lost by a basket or less in two others.

And here's the real kicker: This is about as young as an NBA team could possibly be. Every core member of the team hovers within a year or so of 21. And unlike almost every other team in the league right now, the Thunder aren't about to implode amidst the much ballyhooed 2010 free agent sweepstakes.

So I feel I can safely say this team is only a few years away from at least threatening a deep playoff run - conference finals or further. Meanwhile I'm just hoping the Bengals can post back-to-back winning season for the first time in 28 years.

The Rarest Jordans To Ever Hit eBay

As I was browsing Air Jordans on eBay tonight, I stumbled across something a little more interesting than the usual old Jordan 11's with icy soles gone yellow and atrocious Jordan Brand fusions. I think I may have discovered the holy grail of Jordans, y'all... original white, metallic black Air Jordan 1's from 1985. According to eBay seller quickclicksales, these are the rarest Jordans to ever hit eBay... and they're in my size. Apparently these things weren't even released to the public, with only a few samples made. So I'm asking for your advice Dank Gamers, should I drop $3,700 (FREE shipping!!!) so that I can own what I can only assume are the dopest and rarest shoes in the city of Cincinnati if not the entire Midwest? I could also try my hand at bartering, as this item features the "Make Offer" option.

In case you're wondering, I'm not actually considering purchasing these. Would be tight to own 'em though.

NOTHING EASY!!!

Zaza Pachulia and the Hawks overcame their fear of the deer in game 6 in Milwaukee and have pushed the series to the fateful game 7. Zaza knows better than anyone else that nothing's easy, but it might be a little easier this time around now that the Hawks will have the actual support of their fans on Sunday afternoon. Oh, and they'll be playing the Bucks rather than the Celtics. But still, Zaza knows... NOTHING EASY!!! GAME 7, BABY!!! WE LOVE YOU!!! WOOOO!!!